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Stargazer Volume 1: an original all-ages graphic novel

Marni is a young girl dealing with the recent death of her grandmother, which has left her emotionally devastated and struggling to cope. Granny Hitchins was a wonderfully curious woman, responsible for giving her granddaughter a rich sense of imagination and adventure, as well as an old and mysterious "Artifact." Granny Hitchins found the Artifact when she was herself a child and, with origins unknown, it provided a lifetime of adventure, speculation, and storytelling for herself, her son, and finally, her granddaughter. While not a replacement, the Artifact is nonetheless a treasured memento for Marni after her grandmother's death. With the love and support of her two best friends, Sophie and Elora, and the magic of the Artifact to comfort her, Marni is just beginning to cope with the loss of her beloved grandmother when her life takes an abrupt and strange turn. While the girls are examining the Artifact on a backyard camping trip, the object suddenly takes on a life of its own, transporting the three friends and their tent to a strange and distant world. After exploring the tent and their immediate surroundings, the girls discover that the Artifact has vanished, leaving them alone and afraid under a very alien sky. After summoning their courage, Marni, Sophie and Elora venture out to explore their alien surroundings, where they find a surreal world containing a robot, a mysterious far-off tower, and an illusive yet terrifying monster. Scared, yet buoyed by the stories and songs that they've heard while growing up, the three girls gather their meagre supplies and head out into the wilderness, determined to find a way home. A magical tale with the most unlikeliest of heroes, "Stargazer" is an exploration of friendship, loss, and hope. By turns terrifying, poignant, and humorous, "Stargazer" is part fairytale, part science fiction, and part adventure story. Anyone who has ever opened a book, looked up at the stars, or dreamed will love this story....and wish they'd been the one to find the Artifact.

Wanted to see how much color I could achieve without overexposing. SOOC except crop. Tools: used Coast lenser LED flashlights covered in yellow, orange, blue, green and red cellophane gels.

My husband suprised me with a beauitful bouquet for our 26th Wedding Anniversary~~~
took the photo with my new iPhone:)

2010 release from the Australian Metal act. One of the most unique and bizarre underground bands around, Stargazer plays Death Metal that leans toward the technical/progressive side of the genre, following in the footsteps of Atheist, Cynic, Pestilence and Gorguts. The two primary members--known as The Serpent Inquisitor and The Great Righteous Destroyer--have been involved with some of Australia's top Extreme Metal bands, including Mournful Congregation, Cauldron Black Ram and Outre-era Portal. Despite the fact that they've existed for the better part of the last 15 years, Stargazer has only released a single full-length album, along with a handful of demos, splits and EPs. Nevertheless, much like their contemporaries in Portal, they command a fervent cult following of extreme music fans who appreciate artists who push the envelope within the genre.